Tag Archives: International football

Post navigation

In the first of the quarter-finals we have two sides that it would be fair to say weren’t fancied by most in terms of their chances of progression to this stage, however, both sides have overcome losing their first games of the tournament with Portugal finishing second in ‘the group of death’ and the Czech Republic topping Group A in spite of a crushing 4-1 defeat to the now eliminated Russians in their opening fixture.

In their final group game against the Dutch Ronaldo’s performance for Portugal was arguably the best individual performance of the tournament so far

Since this opening day confidence knock the Czech Republic side have recovered their position valiantly and though their squad isn’t blessed with tremendous depth or individual quality, they have found a way to win games and that has been no easy feat when you consider the sides they have beaten in their last two games. First, they had to beat Greece who so famously mastered the art of punching above their weight and winning games they shouldn’t have and then having conquered the former champions they had to muster a result against Poland in their own backyard.

These two wins demonstrated admirable and impressive resilience and a surprising ability to be clinical when match-deciding chances came their way, however, I simply can’t see any way that they can beat Portugal who have better options than the Czechs in arguably every single position on the field.

Though I don’t expect the Czechs to just lie down and take a beating, I think that this quarter-final tie will be fairly reminiscent of the events of the Czechs opening game against Russia. In the Russia match the Czechs battled hard throughout and at times they even brought the fight to their opposition on the offensive but eventually the superior quality of the Russian side told and they bagged a couple of late goals to underline their dominance.

I am going for a 3-1 win to Portugal and though I expect them to once again be heavily reliant upon their skipper Cristiano Ronaldo, who was at his unstoppable best against the Dutch in Portugal’s final group game, I hope to see the likes of Nani and Helder Postiga and perhaps even midfielders Joao Moutinho and Raul Meireles start to contribute more meaningfully to the goals tally.

Due to a lack of time on my hands today I will have to keep this very brief but my predictions for the last day of Group A are as follows…

Russia Vs. Greece:

Everyone is expecting Greece to start slowly and Russia to take full advantage of the defensive frailties which have been so evident in the early stages of both of today’s opponents matches so far in the tournament.

I think this match will live up to people’s expectations and I expect Russia to win Group A courtesy of a 3-1 win over the Greeks this evening.

Poland Vs. Czech Republic:

In Group A’s real crunch match I am expecting co-hosts Poland to delight the entire nation with a 2-1 win over the Czechs which will take them through to the last eight of the tournament.

The reason I’m going for a Poland win is that I think they have shown that they can be really dangerous on the counter-attack and because in Robert Lewandowski they possess the genuine goalscorer which the Czechs appear to lack in the absence of Milan Baros’ better days as an international striker.

Both of the sides involved in the first of Thursday’s matches will be very pleased with how they acquitted themselves in their opening fixtures of Euro 2012.

Di Natale’s finish was sublime and he may well start against Croatia

Italy dealt well with Spain’s unusual ‘4-6-0′ formation for the first hour of the game and looked consistently threatening on the break with Balotelli and Cassano both spurning decent opportunities before second half substitute Antonio Di Natale popped up with a delightful finish to give them a surprise lead.

Unfortunately for Italy the lead wasn’t theirs for long as Spain hit back quickly through Cesc Fabregas’ equaliser but ultimately the Italians will be fairly pleased with the draw and with how they dealt with Spain’s unexpected formation and typically constant threat in and around the box.

Croatia will also be in good spirits heading into the Italy clash as they were at their clinical best against an Irish side who are often very difficult to break down. Croatia manager Slaven Bilic set his team up in a positive fashion and knowing that Ireland would play on the back foot seemed to grasp the fact that his team would need to make the most of any opportunities that came their way and his players

Mandzukic was the two goal hero Croatia in their opener

delivered.

The game between these two sides is arguably the most pivotal of the entire group stage as many believe it will decide who qualifies from the group along with tournament favourites Spain. However, if Croatia win and Spain fail to beat Ireland in the second of Thursday’s matches then Croatia will already be through as group winners.

Italy will be pleased with their point against Spain and will back themselves to beat Ireland so a draw on Thursday wouldn’t be an awful result and I think that is what the outcome will be, I’m going for a 1-1 draw.

Spain Vs. Ireland:

Ireland and their fans may well just be happy to be in the Euros as many are suggesting but they will still be feeling a little flat after a disappointing defeat in their opening game of the tournament.

The Ireland manager has been put under great media pressure to start James McClean against Spain

Spain on the other hand certainly have more lofty ambitions about the tournament as a whole and though they may view Italy as their greatest challengers in Group C I think they too will be left a little underwhelmed by their opening day performance and result.

Time will tell of course whether Spain’s point against the Italians was actually a very good point in the context of the group but with the players that Spain have at their disposal they would surely have hoped they could start building some momentum with a win right from the off. The second round of group fixtures though provides Spain with the perfect opportunity to kick-start the defence of their European crown against an Irish side who looked a little lacklustre at this level in the opening round of fixtures.

Fabregas was probably the most advanced player in Spain’s surprise ‘4-6-0’ formation

The reason Ireland’s performance was so disappointing was that not only did they try and play defensive minded football as everyone had expected them to, but their display at times crept beyond this and into the realms of negativity and damage limitation. Within the context of major tournament football they simply appeared a little shell-shocked.

Sadly for Ireland I simply can’t see how they are going to drastically improve on Sunday’s showing and avoid being eliminated from the tournament on Thursday and I expect Spain to win comfortably. I’m going for the reigning champions to win 3-0 but if they play with an ‘out-and-out striker’ then they could even win by more.

The two teams involved in the first game of the second round round of fixtures in Group B will go into the match with very contrasting emotions following their first results of the group stages.

Ronaldo will be hoping to fire Portugal to their first points of Euro 2012

Denmark head into the match riding the crest of a wave having sent shockwaves through the tournament with a surprise 1-0 win against a much fancied Dutch side. I had predicted a very open game between Denmark and Holland with the Dutch coming out on top in spite of my accompanying prediction that the Dutch might be end up falling at the first hurdle and being eliminated in the opening round of the Euros.

On one hand I may be proved correct in that Holland are now right up against it in their bid to progress to the latter stages of the competition but on the other I got things very wrong indeed. The game did indeed begin in fairly open and fluent fashion with Holland on top but after Denmark took the lead against the run of play it became a story of Danish doggedness and Dutch frustration and stuttering.

They may have lost out in nearly all of the statistic categories but Denmark deserved their win for their clinically finished goal from Michael Krohn-Delhi and the admirable determination and execution of their defensive plans.

In stark contrast to the jubilation amongst the Danish fans, the Portugese players and fans will be left deflated following their 1-0 loss to Germany and the reason for their upset isn’t really down to a poor performance but more out of frustration that they couldn’t finish off a decent night’s work.

Of course, Germany are a very good side and Portugal were the underdogs going into the match so one might think a narrow defeat wasn’t a poor result but in truth Germany seemed a little lacking and Portugal for the most part completely negated any threat that their opponents posed. Also, after Germany managed to break the deadlock Portugal came back strongly with a much more offensive approach and in the end probably should have got themselves a point with Silvestre Varela wasting the best of their late opportunities.

So, there were several things for Portugal to be pleased with in their opening game but ultimately they were on the wrong end of the result and perhaps they are left ruing the fact that they left it so late to try and cause the German defence some problems.

In tomorrow’s game I think Portugal will try to play more offensively and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nelson Oliveira start in place of Helder Postiga in the wake of an impressive cameo against Germany. I think Portugal will win the game 2-0 and take themselves level on points with Denmark and in doing so they could blow the group wide open.

Germany Vs. Holland:

When the draw was made for the Euros this game looked like the pick of the group matches. Not only does it see two of the pre-tournament favourites face-off at an early stage but it also renews one of European football’s most famous and most heated rivalries.

The Dutch-German rivalry is one of the biggest in international football but hopefully their won’t be any incidents as unsavoury as this…

Gone are the days of Frank Rijkaard spitting in Rudi Voller’s mullet but the memories of such moments and the memories of some fine games of football still live on and how Germany would love to be the team that defeats the Dutch and in doing so effectively knock them out of the tournament in the very first round.

In the opening games of Group B both Germany and Holland were under-par but the important difference between their respective opening results were that Germany took home three points against a decent Portugese side and Holland failed to take anything from their match against a Denmark side who many thought would end up propping up the rest of the teams in the ‘Group of Death’.

Both sides will head into this one with a point to prove, Germany in terms of upping their performance level and Holland in terms of the desperate need to get at very least one point on the board and I think it will be a 1-1 draw. Hopefully this game will prove to be as much of a spectacle as previous encounters between these two great footballing nations.

The past five years have been very tough for the English national side in the wake of their failure to qualify for the Euros in 2008 and their dismal showing at the 2010 World Cup when handed a very favourable looking group draw but with a new man at the helm England will be hoping for greater success, stability and continuity.

New manager Hodgson and new captain Steven Gerrard are hoping to lead by example

Given the disappointments of recent times, their performances and results throughout the qualification for Euro 2012 must have gone some way towards restoring some lost confidence and were deserving of a fair amount of credit. It was of course Fabio Capello who lead England throughout this process but perhaps his departure was for the best for England and for Capello himself as the English public, media and even some of the national team players never really warmed to the Italian.

In charge of England now is Roy Hodgson who has already been the target of some pretty unfair criticism just for being appointed as boss but the fact of the matter is that Hodgson is a wily old fox and will have been prepared for the glare of the media and some of the negative criticism that has come his way. Roy is a man who lives and breathes football and being a proud Englishman will realise that English fans are amongst the most passionate in the world and that sometimes this passion will spill into the realms of harshness and irrationality.

In spite of Hodgson’s critics and the slightly stand-off-ish nature of their two performances under his guidance to date, England have won both of their games since Hodgson took charge of the side and Roy will head into the Euros pleased with the fact that he has a 100% record as England manager. Probably the major concern for Hodgson heading into the tournament is the late losses of the experienced Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard and the talented Gary Cahill to injury, all of whom had a genuine chance of making Roy’s starting line-up against France next week.

One to watch… Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Since Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger opted to give ‘The Ox’ a run in their first team the winger-come-attacking-central-midfielder has developed at a frightening pace. The really impressive thing about him as a young player taking his first major steps into top level professional football is that he seems not only to be un-phased by the big occasion but that he appears inspired by such scenarios. If given the chance to impress I could see him having a similar impact to Wayne Rooney in Euro 2004.

Euros nostalgia: In 1996 England hosted the European Championships and they were denied a place in the final and quite possibly their first major tournament victory since 1966 by Germany who out-witted and out-nerved them in a penalty shoot-out. Gareth Southgate’s failed attempt to score from the spot will live painfully long in the memory for all England fans. Cue the following classic Pizza Hut advert…

Tournament prospects: Given the difficulty of their group some might argue that England would do well to make it into the last eight. If they were to progress through the group via a second placed finish then an intimidating tie against Spain could lie in wait in the quarters…

France:

The past fifteen or so years have seen the French become arguably one of the most maverick and most frustrating sides in international football game. Having won the World Cup in 1998 and the Euros in 2000 France looked set for an era of dominance but since then their major tournament success has been horribly inconsistent.

Benzema and Ribery are both magnificent players but have both struggled with inconsistency

In 2002 France made an embarrassing first-round exit when defending the World Cup, in 2004 they lost out in the quarter-finals when defending their European crown, in 2006 they defied most people’s expectations of them in reaching the final only to lose out on penalties, in 2008 they were again left embarrassed as they failed to get out of their group and worst of all in 2010 they collapsed into a state of mutiny and were again eliminated in the group stage.

This time around though some peace seems to have been brought to proceedings in the French camp and their squad is packed full of young and precocious talents and it is in attack where they look most exciting. They are likely to opt for Karim Benzema up front with the likes of Franck Ribery, Samir Nasri, Jeremy Menez and Hatem Ben Arfa likely to provide the support on the flanks. Each of the aforementioned players have on occasion failed to live up to the hype that has preceded them in both domestic and international football and each of them will be keen to prove their doubters wrong.

One to watch… Frank Ribery: There are several very exciting players in the French squad going into the Euros including many players in their infancy as international footballers but my ‘one to watch’ is Ribery who is arguably their greatest example of a player who has struggled to live up to his own billing on the biggest stages in world football. At times Ribery can look like the most threatening and technically able wide-man in world football but up until now he has too often had his threat negated by teams who have put thought into how to stop him and he, his club sides and the French national side have paid the price.

Euros nostalgia: France have twice won the tournament, their first triumph was in 1984 where UEFA President Michel Platini was their captain and then their second European Championship win came in 2000 courtesy of an extra-time winner from David Trezeguet.

Tournament prospects: As ever it is almost impossible to know how this tournament will go for the French. If their inexperienced players grasp their opportunities and adapt quickly to the requirements of major international football then they could well be set for a long run this summer but if not then another embarrassment could be on the cards. I think they will at very least get through the group and progress to the knock-out stages.

Sweden:

Sweden may not appear to have quite as good a squad as England or France heading into the Euros but it does contain some very experienced players. One of these veterans is Zlatan Ibrahimovic who as well as providing leadership and inspiration will also try and provide the flair, imagination and world-class conviction needed to mount a challenge towards progression from the group stages.

Zlatan has become well renowned for epitomising the term ‘mercurial talent’

Other players who could have a big impact for Sweden this summer include Kim Kallstrom of Lyon, Sebastien Larsson of Sunderland, Johan Elmander of Galatasaray and Ola Toivonen of PSV each of whom have impressed in some of Europe’s top domestic leagues over the past few seasons whilst having featured regularly with the national side.

It isn’t only in the experience department where Sweden are looking strong either as they have named the likes of Rasmus Elm and Emir Bajrami in their squad, both of whom have impressed in the infancy of their club and international careers.

One to watch… Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Ibrahimovic is one of football’s more interesting characters as well as being one of the most talented players on the planet. He has enjoyed great success throughout his club career but he continues to be thought of by many as being overrated. The only way for him to prove his doubters wrong is for him to perform in a huge tournament in which the whole world will see him and appreciate him and the Euros provides him with a great opportunity to do so.

Euros nostalgia: Sweden’s best performance in the Euros came when they were the host nation in 1992. They performed strongly in the group stages on home turf and went through to the last four as group winners only to be knocked out by Germany at this stage. Their fellow Scandinavians, Denmark, were the surprise winners of the competition that year.

Tournament prospects: If France and England both perform to their potential then it is hard to see Sweden progressing, particularly as co-hosts Ukraine make up the group. However, both France and England have underachieved at times over the past decade so the Swede’s certainly do have a hope of making it through and into the knock-out stages.

Ukraine:

Co-hosts Ukraine look the weakest side in group D on paper but they will be banking on home advantage to help them spring a surprise and make it through to the last eight of the competition.

The co-hosts will rely heavily on their experienced stalwarts like Tymoschuk

The vast majority of Ukraine’s squad play their football on home soil and as a result they will go into the competition as something of an unknown quantity as most people, including myself, are fairly ill-informed about the Ukranian leagues.

Though much of their squad will be relatively unknown to many, there are a few very familiar names present including legendary striker Andriy Shevchenko, former Liverpool forward Andriy Voronin and Bayern Munich’s hugely experienced holding-midfielder Anatoliy Tymoschuk.

One would assume that Shevchenko in particular could bow out of international football after this tournament on home soil and how he would love to sign off in style with a reminder of the old magic that once made him one of world football’s most celebrated front-men.

One to watch… Andriy Yarmolenko: The young Dynamo Kyiv prospect has already shown great versatility in his fledgling career as he has demonstrated an ability to switch seamlessly between playing as a striker and playing in midfield for both club and country. The 22 year-old already has a very impressive international record having scored eight goals in just twenty appearances.

Euros nostalgia: Since becoming an independent nation and football side Ukraine have never qualified for the European championships so the opportunity to host the tournament has provided them with a huge opportunity given that the hosts have an automatic right to qualification.

Tournament prospects: As I’ve mentioned, Ukraine definitely appear to have the weakest squad on paper but being the host nation can sometimes inspire greatness. Even some of football’s lesser sides have prospered when given such an advantage and Ukraine will hope to join the list but in reality they are more than likely to fall at the first hurdle.

A brief summary of Group D:

If England and France play to their potential then they should both progress to the knock-out stages. However, both Ukraine and Sweden possess a decent threat and the two favourites to move forwards from the group will have to be very watchful in order to avoid an upset.

England and France look like the favourites to progress from a tricky Group D

I am finding it hard to call who I think will top the group but I will go for France with England qualifying in second place. I think both Sweden and Ukraine will pick up at least a point in the group with Sweden to finish third and co-hosts Ukraine to struggle into last place.

In a week where England Under 21’s boss Stuart Pearce was asked to fill the Fabio Capello sized hole as the full international side’s caretaker boss, England have been defeated by one of the stand-out favourite’s to win the European Championships.

It has been a big week for Pearce and several England hopefuls

No surprises to be had then really… England were fairly soundly beaten by a top-class, experienced and much fancied side when their own team are in a period of managerial transition and were also hampered by several key absences.

In truth, this friendly match was less about seeing how a settled England side could compete with top-class opposition but more a chance for some less experienced players to continue their education as international footballers and for the squad to try dealing with adversity.

Due to the nature and circumstances of last night’s game I have decided not to look too in-depth at the performance as a whole but rather pick out a few significant events and performances in Pearce’s week of stepping into the breach. My picks for the winners and losers of ‘Psycho’ ‘s week of charge are as follows…

The Winners:

Stuart Pearce:

He may not have got the result he was hoping for on his first outing as Manager of the full international side but his team did show some spirit and resolve and ultimately won’t be too disappointed with the outcome.

It was win-win really for Pearce as he has stated that he doesn’t think he is ready for the job full-time, but he will have learnt from the experience and it will certainly have helped any long-term ambitions he may harbour of eventually taking the role on a permanent basis.

Scott Parker:

His international stock continues to rise and after last night’s characteristically brave and battling performance he will not only have secured his place in England’s starting line-up for the Euro’s but he has also made himself favourite to lead the team out in Poland and Ukraine this summer.

John Terry:

He may be injured and his public and footballing image may be left tarnished by recent events but last night England’s defence looked bereft of the grit and experience which Terry possesses by the barrel-load. England’s defensive backbone needs a John Terry-esque figure and there seems to be little in the way of alternative options.

Rio Ferdinand:

He may have spent a fair period in the international wilderness now but, like John Terry, it is hard to deny the experience and quality that he possesses and that could yet earn him a call-up to the Euro’s squad if he is fit for duty.

It is yet to be seen whether he would be happy to part of a squad including his long-term central defensive parter John Terry though, given the offence taken by Ferdinand to Terry’s alleged racial abuse of his brother. For me, the England squad will be stronger if they can put aside their differences and regain the necessary fitness and form to earn their call-ups as I think they are probably still our best central defensive partnership.

Micah Richards:

He was overlooked consistently throughout Capello’s reign but he returned to the side last night and looked every bit an international footballer. He does look a little indisciplined in defence at times but his strength and determination in the challenge and when breaking forward provides something different for England at the back. He would definitely make my England squad for the Euro’s.

Daniel Sturridge:

Came off the bench early on for the injured Steven Gerrard and played a part in most of England’s good attacking play. He may have even done enough to jump Danny Wellbeck in the race to start up top for England in the absence of Rooney for the first two games at the Euro’s and Darren Bent’s potential absence for the whole tournament with injury.

Ashley Young:

Four goals in his last five international appearances now for Young and he is beginning to look comfortable at this level. He may have been fairly quiet throughout last night but his goal was sweetly taken and his set-piece was a constant threat. He now seems the most likely of England’s wingers to make the starting line-up come June.

Holland (obviously):

Winners in a literal sense on the night but also in terms of the threat and killer instinct which they seem to possess going into a big summer of international football. Not many teams in world football could come back from throwing away a two-nil lead in the last five minutes of normal time away from home and against strong opposition to producing a winning goal in additional time. They demonstrated great self-belief in coming back to win the game late on after enduring a few late minutes of defensive indecision themselves and they impressed with their play throughout the ninety-odd minutes at Wembley last night. It was the sort of performance and result which serves to underline their reputation as one of Spain’s strongest challengers this summer.

The Losers:

Manchester United and Chris Smalling:

With Chris Smalling picking up a pretty gruesome head injury, Manchester United’s never-ending defensive injury crisis seems set to continue.

Aside from Patrice Evra and David De Gea, pretty much every member of United’s defensive unit have spent considerable stints on the sidelines this season, Smalling included, and now he is set for another spell out of the game. Incidents like this do warrant sympathy for the players themselves and for their club managers and I’m sure Sir Alex Ferguson will be bemoaning his luck with a huge game against Spurs lying in wait at the weekend. Hopefully for his and United’s benefit, the injury picked up by Smalling will not be as bad as it looked and he will make a speedy return to action.

Steven Gerrard:

Most people were expecting a swift return to the England captaincy for ‘Stevie G’ but it wasn’t to be as Scott Parker was picked for the job.

Not only will Gerrard be disappointed by this but he will also be irked by his short stay on the field after being named in England’s starting line-up. His stay of action lasted barely 20 minutes and was hardly what he was hoping for having barely played any international football over the past year due to injury.

It seems likely that Gerrard will be picked if fit and available but the brevity of his contributions last night certainly won’t work in his favour when it comes to squad and first XI selection at the Euro’s.

Amidst all the hype and excitement about England’s emerging talents there was one man that has stood head and shoulders above the rest against Spain on Saturday; Scott Parker. This week was meant to be all about the absence of big name players such as John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney and how their much younger and less experienced International team mates would cope when asked to fill the void. However, Saturday’s game was well and truly taken by the scruff of the neck by Scott Parker who does indeed lack International experience, but he certainly isn’t a young prospect like Phil Jones, Danny Wellbeck or Jack Rodwell who all contributed to Saturday’s morale boosting win.

It is so rare in the modern era for someone to get their first major opportunity at International level when they are in their thirties but that is sadly the case for Parker. For years now I have been a great admirer of Parker as a player and have been at a loss when trying to explain why England manager after England manager have overlooked him as a viable option to play in the holding midfield role for the national side. For me he has been one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League over the past six or seven years and minus the early career blip that he suffered upon moving to Chelsea, he has managed to impress for every club that he’s played for. His success at several clubs is demonstrated by the fact that he has been named ‘permanent’ Captain for two different sides, Newcastle and West Ham, both of which are notoriously difficult to lead. In spite of the hard challenge posed by the Captaincy role at these two famous English clubs he has shone in the role. Parker excels as a leader and it is strange to think that such understanding of responsibility hasn’t earned him greater International opportunities earlier in his career.

His successful graduation through the “old-school” English route to the height of International football makes his long-standing lack of caps all the more odd. In classic fashion Parker ‘graduated’ from the now defunct Lilleshall School of Footballing Excellence and went on to represent his country at all levels of youth football, including several caps for the Under 21 side. This now retired procession through Lilleshall and then onto the youth ranks of the national side was once your sure-fire path to a starring role in England squads from a fairly young age, but Parker having made his full international debut in 2003 had only picked up another two caps going into the start of 2011.

In the wake of England’s horrific World Cup campaign in 2010 and his magnificent start to the 2010-11 season with West Ham, Parker was wisely gifted the opportunity to become an exception to the modern era’s unwritten rules regarding international selection. It seems that nowadays if you are in your late twenties or early thirties and you have yet to establish yourself as an English international then you are almost certain to miss out on the chance of ever impressing yourself on this stage. Parker though was called in by Fabio Cappello and has since gone from strength to strength.

For all too long a period it seemed that the England selectors had deemed Parker a solid and reliable Premier League performer but nothing exceeding this. Many managers and coaches must have been guilty of this assumption so it is unfair to direct blame at any clear targets but perhaps good old Sven was the first to play the ignorance card, which if you think about it is rather strange. We all know hom much Sven loved a solid performer don’t we? Think Emile Heskey, think Nicky Butt, think a young Owen Hargreaves. These players did all the simple things well and allowed those around them to provide the spark. For me, Parker offers everything these players did in their time as International regulars, and with the exception of Hargreaves who developed into an outstanding International performer, I believe Parker offers much more.

Thankfully, Fabio was eventually drawn to the lure of Parker as an International footballer and since making him a regular starter he has been richly rewarded with a string of typically determined and resilient performances from Spurs’ summer recruit. The latest in this string of fine performances was his almost sacrificial performance against Spain at the weekend where he firmly set the standard for the rest of his team mates in an understated but ruthlessly effective performance.

It was clear in Saturday’s win that the likes of Rooney and Gerrard were missed in terms of their attacking spark and their ability to surge forward turning defence into clinical counter-attacking football, but under Capello’s apparent guidance to swamp the Spanish playmakers and prioritise defensive responsibilities Parker stood out as the figure-head of England’s defiance. If England are looking for a new Captain in the wake of John Terry’s latest flirtation with controversy, and I accept that that they probably aren’t, then they should look no further than ‘Super Scott’ whose handling of over-the-top fans expectations at Newcastle and West Ham was always respectful and dedicated.